It was an absolutely greeeaaatttt day. Not too much sun to burn the students but enough she didn't have to worry about a sudden downpour spoiling the morning's plans.

Healer Poppy had been at it from the crack of dawn and gotten to work making sure the lake was prepared for what would be their first of many group sessions. This first would be out at the lake on the first Friday of the term and she had done her best to put up flyers everywhere...as well as having the professors mention it at each of their lessons. She expected full attendance. This was apart of the mandatory therapy arranged by the Board of Governors.

There were chairs set out, enough to ensure everyone had a place. Circles. One ring of seats then one just outside it and another outside that one and so on.

Just a ways from the table was the large snack table full of different kinds of bread. Freshly baked. Some sweet, some plain, some gluten free. All kinds. Banana bread, strawberry bread, melon bread, French bread, oh there were so many choices~!!!!

Healer Poppy looked down at her watch, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the little darlings and professors alike.

Ash did not trust the "board of governors" or "Healer Poppy" or really anybody else to know what she did or did not need. As a consequence of that, she resented this whole 'therapy' idea. She'd go when she was ready, and until then, she was not going to admit anything. Especially not in a group of her peers. No thanks. She didn't need a therapist, she needed her boyfriend, her brother, and her home.

Ash took a seat in the inner ring of chairs and crossed her legs and arms. Closed-off body language. She did not bother to take any food or greet the healer. This wasn't a party. She didn't have to socialize. She looked at Healer Poppy mistrustfully. If the name "Ashley" came out of her mouth in a patronizing way, Ash was leaving. She was also leaving if she heard "Ash" in a patronizing way. Actually, if anything patronizing was said at this meeting, Ash was leaving. And 'patronizing' was a broad term. Ash was literally looking for a reason to leave.

Having been raised in part by his father who was the personification of empathy and attending to one's emotions, Teddy didn't feel intimidated by the concept of group therapy, nor any therapy, for that matter. He understood that such sessions were bound to be beneficial for students in general - even without the prior trauma most of them had endured as recently as a few months ago, and conceptually, Teddy thought this kind of thing should have been the norm all along. The Health and Wellness Club could use a component like this, and he wondered if a student-led group wouldn't be an awful idea moving forward as well.

The opportunity to speak to a trained professional was great to have, but Teddy already anticipated that some people might feel uncomfortable and be unwilling to share such personal thoughts in front of too many people, especially those in authority... and he might have been one of them. Peers were fine; unusual adults that weren't his direct family were... unreliable until proven otherwise, and Teddy's polite wave to Healer Poppy as his only greeting communicated just that, he thought.

An encouraging smile was given to the sullen younger Ravenclaw, Ashley, as Teddy joined her circle. He knew she was the same age as his little sister, Kizzy, and since she looked miserable to be here, he sought to look after her even with the smallest of gestures. Help make her experience less miserable, if he could.

And, for what it was worth, he passed on the snacks as well - he was old and wise enough to know not to accept food that didn't come directly from the kitchens. Seemingly-safe foods distributed at special Hogwarts occasions had been tampered with in the past, and he'd yet to clear Healer Poppy of any such suspicion.

It was a lovely day and Meda was wanting to enjoy her morning with a cup of coffee and going to sit in on the group session. She wasn't a healer by no means but she had took some classes on counseling and she enjoyed the more spiritual arts for healing. Hoping she could be of some assistance in some way or another she took the time to show her support.

Seeing that she was one of the first there she smiled to the ones already there. "Good morning. Are we enjoying the lovely weather?" She gave the third year a smile as well as the older boy and Healer Poppy. "The bread is smelling delicious this morning." Meda made her way over to look at the options. They all looked so amazing, she wasn't sure which she would pick. There should be enough for her to have even just the smallest of bites.

Kinsay did not want to be here. She had everything under control. Occasional moments of panic aside, she was still the same, silly Kizzy from before, even if it took a lot more energy now. She didn't need group therapy sessions with a stranger. She was a mother now. She knew things. So while she did understand the benefits that therapy might have for her peers, she was firmly certain that it would do absolutely nothing for her. If she wanted to talk to an adult about this stuff, she'd just mirror call her dad. It was really that simple.

And yet here she was because some old men on an ancient Board of Governors said she had to be. Couldn't they see that this would only make things WORSE?! Kinsay didn't want to talk about any of it. She wanted to move on! This would only make her friends sad, which, in turn, would make Kizzy sad. It was awful. And the only thing that made it better was the abundance of bread that she could stuff her face with so she wouldn't have to talk. So after grabbing as much banana bread as she could carry, the Gryffindor made her way to sit right next to her older brother, Teddy. She munched on a tiny piece, before holding one out for him. "Bread?" Maybe he hadn't seen the snacks. Good thing Kins had taken enough for both of them.

She didn't bother greeting anyone else either. Not Healer Poppy (who she unjustly blamed for the Board's new mandates), not Ashley (who Kinsay still felt so uncomfortable around for... reasons), and not Professor Euka (who Kiz couldn't help but compare to Professor Kitridge).

Her district for this Healer had not dwindled over the summer. But that was why one Claudine Blaze was joining those gathered there so far: to observe the woman. Well, that and the fact that this stupid…whatever it was happened to be mandatory. But gosh. Wasn’t that a lot of bread? Was that banana scent that wafted towards her? Yes. Yes, it was. With difficulty, the sixth year resisted the urge to stop and grab some, instead making her way towards Ashley. Claudine practically ignored everyone else, especially the new Divination teacher for reasons.

“Hi, Ash.’’ Wait. Why was that banana bread scent even stronger here, where she sat on the free chair next to Ashley? Claudine peered around and quickly located the source. “That’s a lot of banana bread, Kinsay,’’ she observed casually. Did the Gryffindor actually trust the Healer to be eating those goodies?

She didn't need therapy. She didn't need to talk about her feelings or how it affected her or about how everyone got butt hurt because she said 'mudblood' or the fact she thought it was DUMB to ban the word. She'd have used it anyway but...like....she hadn't seen the Headmaster blow up yet.....and didn't know if he was just another Rosier. Until she could figure that out, the Third Year was treading cautiously with all her castle endeavours--including this one.

Mandatory, in her experience, didn't tend to mean she had a choice. On the off chance they were taking register, she didn't want to have her name not signed off. For all she knew THAT would get her MOAR therapy.

Just. No thanks.

"If she really wanted to help, she'd get me a boyfriend without it offending at least half my friends at any given time." Emmerson huffed to her friend, flopping down beside Kinsay and thus Teddy on her other side. "Otherwise, I don't see how this'll help literally anything." Emm had had therapy over the summer. She wasn't any more sorry now than she was then. She wasn't tremendously traumatized because no one she cared about, her family or her friends, was gone. Bad things happened, she didn't care.

"I have fresh cinnamon bread, too." She said, offering some to Teddy in case he didn't want the banana bread.

Mmmmmm. The only good thing about this session, yummy bread.

Therapy was absolutely not her jam and Florrie would make it clear with the scowl on her face. And even if she had been wanting some, this group thing was not what she would have gone for - therapy was, like, private. And reaaally, did she want to listen to everyone else's feelings and struggles and problems and whinging?

There was going to be a lot of whinging, she could already tell, and she wasn't here for it. Not for whinging about legit problems, or fake problems, or even whinging about having to be at therapy. If everyone could just stay quiet, maybe they'd be free sooner rather than later.

With a glance towards the bread table, Florrie took the first seat she came across. At the very back of all of the seats. So she could [s]escape[s] leave as soon as it was over.

This was...um...

Ivy wasn't sure how she felt about it really. She figured the Board of Governors thought they were doing what was best, just like her mum and dad did when they'd insisted on her going to her own therapist. She didn't have anything against therapy, but she wasn't sure how beneficial her sessions thus far were to her therapist or herself, so the idea of having to do this group therapy too was...

Well, it was hard enough already to not think about everything now that she was back, but this whole thing made it even more difficult. So hopefully she could just show up, dance around the subject like she had been in her private sessions, and then leave and move on with her life.

At least it was going to be outside and...the bread over there looked really good. And despite the way her stomach churned from nervousness, she was also feeling a bit hungry.

"Hello," she greeted Healer Poppy on her way to the table. "Hi, Professor," she also greeted Professor Euka since she was also at the table.

After looking over the options, she picked a couple slices each of the French bread and strawberry bread. Then she slipped into an empty seat in one of the middle rings, not wanting to be in the very front or the back.

Mandatory was a word that Atlas was not a fan of. Combine that with therapy and the second year was dragging his feet down to the lake. Which was uncharacteristic for him considering every pass by the lake was a chance to spot Bartholomew Henry. Summer had been filled with therapy for the young Gryffindor and he supposed it had been helping. Family therapy for the Flamsteeds, actually. There was a lot to rebuild. Returning to Hogwarts meant those weekly sessions had to be put on pause, which was something Atlas had been relieved about.

And now here they were. More mandatory therapy. Was the bread mandatory too because...no thank you. Call it a Flamsteed tick, but dad had warned about strangers bearing gifts and reminded both he and Aries since they were little that it was okay to politely decline any offer. Granted, dad's whole thing had been about ice cream and potted plants...but the principle of the matter still remained. His polite decline meant entirely bypassing the bread and slipped into the first seat he could find - which just so happened to be beside an older Hufflepuff (Florrie). The chairs being arranged in a circle felt daunting and he sat with his hands rubbing his knees.

He wasn't sure what to make of Healer Poppy...but her jarring arrival at the end of term feast stuck out in his mind and now...this....

He would try keeping an open mind....though that opening was only wide enough for a toe or so.

Sheepishly, he glanced at the pretty older girl with flushed cheeks sandwiching his meek smile.

Where was Aries? Or Quinn.

Though it was still early enough in the term that Kamran could not have hoped to have learnt and remembered all the kids' names, that didn't mean he'd not been making a decent attempt to do so. He'd been making an effort to pick up names and match them to faces, particularly those he had, hm, heard the most about. Staff were easier, at least - of course Kamran knew of Meda and Healer Poppy - but they also weren't the reason they were all here.

Arriving at the group therapy set-up (which was far from a new experience, he'd sat in on similar things before) Kamran nodded to both the healer and the Divination professor by way of greeting, and stopped by the refreshment table. You couldn't go wrong with freshly baked bread, and though Kamran did not eat too too much of the stuff himself, he would partake today. The smell alone was wonderful.

Selecting a slice of banana bread for himself, Kamran passed back through the rows and students mingling and settling down to take up a seat in the very outside circle - all the better to keep an eye on things. On the way, he passed Grimm, and offered her a small but encouraging smile. No doubt the kids would be uncertain about today, but sessions like these could work wonders, when done right.

He ended up in a seat not too far from Charbonneau, and one of the Flamsteed boys. Funny thing, with twins, though the first names could be mixed up fairly often, it tended to be much easier to remember the surnames of these kids when there were two or more who looked identical, or near enough. "Not hungry, you two?" Kamran asked the pair of them, nibbling a corner of his own banana bread slice. Hm, smelled amazing, tasted just as good. He wouldn't be cajoling or coaxing anyone into eating the refreshments, but did hope that they were not, at least, letting themselves go hungry with the temptation of freshly baked bread - and all its tantalising aromas - right there.

The only thing good he could determine about mandatory therapy session was that it was outside. With this many bodies, Evan hardly wanted to be stuck in a room, finding even his classes were making him feel a little claustrophobic. He wasn't looking forward to being forced to talk about his feelings, and he wondered if detentions would be given if he didn't or if he could stay silent. How rigorous would these meetings really be? He'd avoided having to talk to his therapist Mum all summer, and if he wasn't going to open up to her, he likely wouldn't for a stranger either.

But as he got closer to the group, and everyone else who had already showed, he did spot something else that may make the meeting a bit better. Fresh bread. Melon bread. It was one of his favorites, and while normally he would have not accepted food from a stranger...

She found one of his weaknesses.

Evan grabbed a couple of the green rolls, before heading towards the circle and finding himself a seat in one of the middle rings. He figured the back would be crowded, and no one wanted to sit in the front. So middle would be perfect.

He perched and nibbled on one of the pieces of bread, glancing at the healer before letting his eyes roam to stare at the lake while he waited for the meeting to start.

Mamie Margaret had done therapy over the summer, so the announcement that they were all getting therapy, together, this year was a welcome one for her. After the initial shock of being back at Hogwarts, she was sleeping...a little better, and she liked being back around her friends and magic again. Oh, and the flying, obviously. That was good. Better than good. Flying was the best.

And outside was good too.

She found her way to the gathering and immediately helped herself to bread. YUM. She grabbed some strawberry bread and cinnamon bread, then looked around at the circles of chairs. She saw Ashley, but Ashley was right in the middle circle, and...that was too close to the front. Ooh and there was Evan Nam. Maybe next time she'd sit by Evan Nam. But not today. She wanted to see what this group therapy thing was all about, first. In case it made her cry or if they had to talk about something embarrassing.

She spotted on one of the older Hufflepuffs, Florrie she thought, oh and Professor Kazmi was over there too. "Good morning!!!" she greeted those nearby as she sat on the other side of Florrie from one of the Flamsteeds, and started in on her strawberry bread with a big ole bite.

"Mmmmmm." It was delicious.

Dare was here... even though he didn't want to be. He preferred therapy sessions that were one-on-one because you know, privacy, and all. There were people here he didn't want to know about his thoughts, even if they were on a similar level. It shouldn't be anyone else's business, he thought. Hopefully, no one here was a mind reader.

Darius eyed the various amounts of bread, it smelled so good but.... Are these laced with truth potions? Paranoia seemed to be settling in from who knows what. Instead, he dug in his own pocket for a chocolate frog to munch on after sitting down. He was glad to have saved a snack in case the food was gross-looking.

Kale Trent very much did not want group therapy. Look, he had a groovy therapist that he dug that he'd been seeing since he checked out of inpatient at St. Mungo's. And sure his fam bam went to a family therapist a few times this past summer. But the sixth year did not want to untangle his trauma in front of his peers. Like, that was his, thnx.

He l-l-loved that Hogwarts was putting some resources into taking care of students, but tbh he was still a little salty about their inaction last term. All of the adults had failed them and now they wanted to step into help? It felt a lil too late.

But Kale still waddled down to the grounds to do the therapy thing cuz he wanted be there to hold hands if anyone needed it. The blonde was a pretty superb hand-holder, if he did say so himself. And he had TWO hands. So double help.

Just forgive us, Pop-ster. Kale wasn't really down to talk to you about his own stuff. 'Sides she'd been around this summer cuz of his Dad and that was some weird cross pollination of trauma he did not want to think about, okay?

Mandatory therapy session sounded boooooooorrrriiiinggg to her buuuuut it was mandatory so she had to go. She saw it on the notice board which meant it was official and she didn’t want to let her HoH down. Aaaand she had heard that there may be snacks offered or so that was the whispers she heard around the castle. So she motivated herself to get there and told herself as she walked that she wasn’t really here to talk feelings and all ... she was here just for the food.

She found her way to the Great Lake, joining the crowd of students, Healer Poppy, and Professor Kazmi. She eyed the older group of students, suddenly finding herself feeling very nervous about being in such a big group. She glanced down at her feet, wishing she had her bright pink gum boots on. With those on, she could do anything. Too bad she was wearing black lifeless ballet shoes.

Her stomach let out a grumble, reminding her of her mission. That’s right she was here for food! Foooooood glorious fooooood!

Her ‘meh’ mood quickly changed when she saw the treats ahead of her. Food ahead!! And it smelled delicious. Now she couldn’t decide which treat she wanted banana bread, melon bread, strawberry bread and more! So so so oh so many options!! Her eyes were bigger than her stomach as she took two pieces of bread. She glanced over at the Healer, smiling sheepishly. “Morning.” she said before taking the goods with her to the circle. And Liss couldn’t handle it all so she popped a piece of bread in her mouth to make sure she could carry everything.

Soon enough she found an open seat near her older brother and sat near him, noting that he had MELON BREAD. Whaaat? Lisa momentarily forgot that she had a piece of bread in her mouth and then caught it as it dropped. Whoops. She glanced to her left and then to her right so see if anyone saw. That was..... her cheeks flushed. But anyway- MELON BREAD??? She hadn’t seen that! She got her cruppy eyes ready to use on him. “Evaaan..... my favourite Ravenclaw brother... I’ll trade you half a banana bread for a melon bread?”

Early mornings...

What were they? Really Tadhg didn't know anymore, he really didn't sleep much anymore as of lately. The events of having to sleep on the floor most majority of the term sure did that to him. Although his morning runs he been having with his bestie lately been helping him a lot lately. Tadhg was here, did he want to be here? Absolutely stinking not but here he was. He had enough therapy with his therapist, what was this supposed to do have them open up? There was no way he was going to talk about his feelings in a group session and singing Kumbaya in a circle.


Tadhg didn't trust this Healer Poppy, she sounded fishy to him but he couldn't place his finger on it. Although the smell of banana bread was changing his mind, hey it was banana bread his favorite. Although was this a trick? He wasn't going to start spilling his thoughts and feelings was he? Taking some banana bread he shrugged taking a bite. Mmm.... it was really good and yummy.


Swallowing his bite he nodded at his Professors. "Good morning Professor Euka and Professor Kazmi, hope you're well." Turning to Healer Poppy he nodded. "Good morning to you as well Healer Poppy, you make the banana bread? It's delicious. " Walking to the circle he took another bite of his banana bread.

Why he had to attend a mandatory therapy session for something he had not went through was something he did not understand but perhaps he could use this opportunity to figure out what exactly had happened. Minjae had been silent about the whole situation for the whole summer, avoiding questions and fleeing home so that he couldn’t corner him. Daniel was certain that he had went through something that was different from others and it was his personal mission to find out what had happened to his big brother.

Reaching the place at the black lake, Daniel wasted no time grabbing a piece of strawberry bread and was already eating from it when he remembered the Headmaster’s words during his first lesson. 'Greet the professors'. Right… ”Hello professors and healer ….and everyone i guess , hi” there , done.

Now could they talk about what had happened cause he had been dying to find out

Neva would hope that the kids most needing therapy would’ve received it over the summer with support from family, who so many of them had been missing during the misery that was last term. And while she thought that this little group gathering could be healing, she wasn’t sure students would be open to talking about their emotions around anyone they weren’t close to, and the participation part was what would make or break this therapy session. Maybe they’d surprise her, though? Maybe this Poppy woman was on to something that Neva didn’t yet see? In any case, she’d brought all sorts of bread and the smell alone was enough to get the Charms Professor on board.

”Nice day. Hello everyone.” ...Was that chocolate chip bread? Yum.

Stealing herself a piece, the brunette brought it to a seat in one of the middle circles of chairs and settled in.

———

Cece wasn’t exactly shy about her feelings. Most of the time you could read them perfectly right on her face, try as she did to hide them. The thing was, the feelings she’d felt last term weren’t exactly ones she wanted to revisit, so she hoped she didn’t have to talk. That sort of thing was voluntary, right? She sure hoped so.

Grabbing a piece of banana bread (which reminded her of baking, which reminded her of mum and Sammy smiling in the kitchen at home), the blonde smiled a little and went to take a seat beside Kinsay and Teddy. ”Hey.”

Therapy sessions weren't a bad thing.

In fact that could be helpful. Dahlia had attended a couple during the summer, both with and without her siblings. Okay, more than a couple but that was besides the point. The point here was that over the summer she had been given the option to go and while she had felt like she may have been talked into it a little, it had been her choice. That wasn't the case here today.

Nope. Today she HAD to sit through this therapy session. Not just any therapy session either. A group one. Featuring everyone. All of her family, friends, professors and fellow peers she didn't even know. This was wrong on so many levels. Yes, a great many of them had dealt with what had happened last term but there was still a percentage of them that hadn't been here for it. Not that they should be excluded because they very likely may have had some form of trauma from it as well. However everyone was different, they all dealt with things differently. She didn't want or need the entirety of Hogwarts knowing what was going on inside her head.

Yet here she was. Dahlia could smell the freshly baked bread before she even reached the table where it was. It smelled and looked to good not to take any even if she wasn't at all hungry. So she took two of the smallest pieces, one strawberry and the other melon. "Hello Professors, Healer Poppy." A very small smile was attempted. "Thank you for the bread." She may not be pleased with this group gathering but she had manners still.

Lia made a beeline directly for an empty seat beside Tadhg. She didn't say anything but she did lightly bump her shoulder against his, offering him some of her bread since she wouldn't be eating it all.

The students were coming in and she gave them all smiles. She didn't have to have a gift to know that many didn't want to be there. You could see that in their faces, but so many not getting the snacks, how could they resist something that smelled so good. "If I didn't know better I would think we were at an outside bakery or farmers market with how amazing these smell." She took a nice size slice before moving away. She just couldn't resist and she wasn't one to worry about any carbs.

Finding a seat she greeted students as they came and tested her knowledge on their names. "Good morning Ivy, I hope you slept well." Beaming at the first student to speak. The others must not have been morning children, which was alright, she hadn't been either when she was young. "Good Morning to you as well Tag.." Tag was his name, right? Was she wrong about that. She wasn't fully sure. Either way she was trying. "Good morning." she went with that for Daniel and Dahlia not wanting to get another name wrong.

One of the many things that Noah hated the most was to be told what to do when it was possible for him not to do it. Mandatory anything was exactly just that, and because the announcement came from the Headmaster, he pretty much had no choice or say regarding the activity. He'd promised their dad he'd follow the lead of the school, and that he'd be a good boy. UGH. Why, though. He didn't need the therapy-- plenty of that happened back home, that's for sure, and he sure did not need to listen to anyone's woes. It was far too early into the new term to be doing a group session, in his opinion.

Sighing and huffing along the way, Noah had dragged himself from their dormitory and out to the great lake with zero interest. For once, he'd rather be in the Library and do a head start with revisions for his upcoming OWLs. He'd got himself a seat somewhere in the middle ring of the concentric circle, completely ignoring the spread of breads nearby. It did evoke the environment of a bakery, but it wasn't enough to drown his displeasure at being asked to attend the therapy session.

With his hands in his pockets, Noah slid down from his seat, crossing his ankles and had his head thrown back. Might as well get as much sun and short nap before all the hysteria commenced.

Group Therapy... big nope for Charlie, and apparently every other student from last year who was over the age of 13. She glanced around at all of the other lack luster faces. This was absolutely one of the very last places she wanted to be. Why group therapy anyways? She had been seeing one per her parents mandate since they were considerably concerned with her mental health after crying by a river over the summer. Hey it was early on she figured it out.

Glancing at healer Poppy and all the bread she snatched a small piece of some cinnamon bread and took a seat near the back like Florrie so she could easily run when this was over or if it got too intense. Trent couldn't fault them and kick them out for it being too much could he? Although that stupid board of regents or whatever nonsense thought they needed the counseling. Adults thinking they knew everything yet again.

Please insert biggest huff and eye roll from one Charlie Rivers.
Today would be unbearable she could feel it.

Quinn felt kinda weird about this therapy thing.

What happened last term was.... not something he had talked about yet. To anyone. He thought his parents would be all over him about it during the summer, but....

....

Not having any outlet for how he felt made him sort of... bottle all that up. And now he was more comfortable with it in a bottle than spilling it all out into the open. But if it was mandatory, then...

Quinn walked up to the table with all the different kinds of bread on it. Quinn wanted to learn how to bake bread, but he knew it was much harder than the sweets he would normally bake with his Gram. She knew how to bake bread, though, but she said it's a really long process and that Quinn wasn't ready to help yet. Quinn hoped that one day he would be able to bake bread that smelled this good. He picked up a piece of banana bread from the table. Um... thanks, Ms. Poppy," he said softly before turning to the chairs.

Quinn looked around to find a place to sit. There didn't seem to be too many people here yet, but... there was Atlas. And Quinn started making his way over to him, but then remembered the look on Atlas's face in the alley and stopped in his tracks. But he couldn't just not go over there now, it had to look, you know... natural. Quinn instead went over to Mamie and sat down next to her. "Uh, hey, Mamie..!" Quinn said, trying to sound as if Mamie was who he was coming over to see the whole time. He stole small glances at Atlas to gauge his reaction—did Atlas want to see him? Was he told not to hang around Quinn? If he was, did he care? Were his fingers alright?